1997 370 DA Electronics Upgrade

[Ramblin' Guy]

I have a new-to-me 1997 370 DA with a fairly standard 1997 Raymarine electronics package for that vintage boat. I'd like to upgrade it gradually without breaking the bank to a new Raymarine package.

I've attached a current diagram of what I have. My current thoughts are that I'd like to keep the autopilot and feed it waypoints from whatever MFD I put in place. I'm not quite ready to upgrade the radar display/antenna, yet, so I thought that I'd put in a small Axiom MFD in place of the current GPS to start my STNT network. I could then use this to network my iPad Pro with Navionics while I'm working toward putting an Axiom 12 MFD and radar antenna where my current radar sits the following year so I wouldn't be without a radar.

A couple of problems came up with this plan - I don't think the Axiom 7 will fit in that area of the dash where the GPS sits. I'm interested if anyone else with a similar vintage 370 DA has done this type of thing and what you did. I'm also interested if you went with Garmin or Simrad or whatever, and how it turned out. Photos of your helm are also appreciated. I'm convinced it doesn't have to be done all at once, I just want to put a good plan in place to do it systematically so I spend smart money instead of just going out and buying a MFD and hoping for the best.

Thanks for your advice in advance!

Jim

 

[Stee6043]

I'm also gradually upgrading some 1990's electronics. I've started with two new plotters (7") and a VHF, all networked. Eventually I'll finish with a another 12" plotter and a new radar. I plan to keep the Raymarine autopilot.

I went with Garmin since I prefer the user interface over any other brand. I'd also suggest that integrating your autopilot should be pretty low on the list of priority upgrades. 99.9% of the usefullness of autopilot is heading hold, in my opinion. You're not going to use your raypilot to drive the boat from the dock out to the big lake...

 

[Ramblin' Guy]

I'm also gradually upgrading some 1990's electronics. I've started with two new plotters (7") and a VHF, all networked. Eventually I'll finish with a another 12" plotter and a new radar. I plan to keep the Raymarine autopilot.

I went with Garmin since I prefer the user interface over any other brand. I'd also suggest that integrating your autopilot should be pretty low on the list of priority upgrades. 99.9% of the usefullness of autopilot is heading hold, in my opinion. You're not going to use your raypilot to drive the boat from the dock out to the big lake...

I like the Raymarine autopilot, too, and I don't really need to control it from a MFD yet at this point. I do have to find the fluxgate compass and probably calibrate it because it wouldn't hold a heading on the compass. It did go to a waypoint on the antiquated chartplotter, so I'm feeling good about that.

I'd like to get a network established with something and start working with that. I'd also like an access point on the network so I can interface my iPad with Navionics as well. Eventually, I'd like to get the magic boxes that upload engine data from older MPI engines as well (I think they're Maratron or something like that).

I just don't want to sink cash into this and then find out a couple of instruments in that it won't work very well.

Right now, I'm trying to lay out the dash panel to see what fits and then go from there. Yours are nice and roomy - mine are a bit narrow for much more than the old instruments. I've attached the current setup for reference.

Thanks for the advice - it is much appreciated!

Jim

 

[Stee6043]

I like the Raymarine autopilot, too, and I don't really need to control it from a MFD yet at this point. I do have to find the fluxgate compass and probably calibrate it because it wouldn't hold a heading on the compass. It did go to a waypoint on the antiquated chartplotter, so I'm feeling good about that.

I'd like to get a network established with something and start working with that. I'd also like an access point on the network so I can interface my iPad with Navionics as well. Eventually, I'd like to get the magic boxes that upload engine data from older MPI engines as well (I think they're Maratron or something like that).

I just don't want to sink cash into this and then find out a couple of instruments in that it won't work very well.

Right now, I'm trying to lay out the dash panel to see what fits and then go from there. Yours are nice and roomy - mine are a bit narrow for much more than the old instruments. I've attached the current setup for reference.View attachment 118256

Thanks for the advice - it is much appreciated!

Jim

If you search "Fox Gateways" on this forum you'll find a set of boxes that folks have use to connect our vintage motors to an NMEA network. @RollerCoastr is like a godfather of spending money on cool tech You should reach out to him...

 

[RollerCoastr]

@RollerCoastr is like a godfather of spending money on cool tech You should reach out to him...

edit:

"@RollerCoastr"is such a cheap SOB that he will actually recommend that you spray paint your 25 year old auto-pilot unit so it will match used, refurb and close-out Garmin gear that you'll hunt all over the internet for to fill every possible gap on your dash."

I hate being mis-represented on the internet.

 

[Stee6043]

edit:

"@RollerCoastr"is such a cheap SOB that he will actually recommend that you spray paint your 25 year old auto-pilot unit so it will match used, refurb and close-out Garmin gear that you'll hunt all over the internet for to fill every possible gap on your dash."

I hate being mis-represented on the internet.

Hah...ahh that made me laugh out loud. I apologize for leaving out the spray paint part! I'm there...I'm so there.

 

[Ramblin' Guy]

Well, it's back to the drawing board for me on my initial plan. I was going to put a Raymarine Axiom 7 in place of my old Raymarine Loran/GPS with a dim LCD to act as a bridge GPS/Chartplotter until I could replace the Radar/Chartplotter with a 12" Axiom next year. I laid it out on the dash and it's too big. My other choice is to put the Axiom 7" where the old Raymarine autopilot head is below the radar, and move the autopilot head to where the Loran/GPS was. Not thrilled about having a display by my left foot, though. Otherwise, I'm out of options and I don't want to gimbal mount anything because that looks like ass.

I need some inspiration.

 

[Stee6043]

I'd recommend strongly against mounting any device with a semi-useful display down by your knees. That would be highly frustrating while using. Imagine using your fingers to pinch/zoom at the angle, down low. Yuck.

Are you sure you can't squeeze one or two 7" plotters in your main dash panel? Your two existing Raymarine boxes appear to be bigger than the Garmin's I showed in my photo above. Some carving is required, but there is plenty of room.

If it were my dash I'd put Garmin's in place of both of these units and leave the rest alone until you're ready to tackle the radar upgrade. Maybe even toss a Garmin VHF on your list, install in the same location as your current VHF. All can be neatly networked.

 

[RollerCoastr]

Surprise - I echo Stee's response. (we have nearly identical dash layouts)

Definitely don't put a plotter in that AP spot. I'm not even a fan of the AP being there.

Both the Axiom 7 and the Garmin 743 are about 1" taller than the Raytheon gear. It looks like they'd fit??

They also both have templates that you can download and print to remove the guesswork. Since I think we all agree that fitting a 7" unit above the wheel is best-case scenario, maybe try the templates before moving on to a plan B?

 

[RollerCoastr]

oh, and Stee was correct about me and Fox Gateways. I'll pester you until you agree to buy them. They don't require, but are best with multiple displays (plotters or simple data units).

 

[Ramblin' Guy]

Surprise - I echo Stee's response. (we have nearly identical dash layouts)

Definitely don't put a plotter in that AP spot. I'm not even a fan of the AP being there.

Both the Axiom 7 and the Garmin 743 are about 1" taller than the Raytheon gear. It looks like they'd fit??

They also both have templates that you can download and print to remove the guesswork. Since I think we all agree that fitting a 7" unit above the wheel is best-case scenario, maybe try the templates before moving on to a plan B?

I did download the templates for the Raymarine axiom 7 and lay them out on the dash and the corners of the unit stuck out beyond the dash panel in those positions because of the curve. I could try to put the unit in the center where the tri data unit is to see if the corners don’t stick out beyond the curve of the dash. Maybe the Garmin unit has smaller dimensions?

 

[Stee6043]

I did download the templates for the Raymarine axiom 7 and lay them out on the dash and the corners of the unit stuck out beyond the dash panel in those positions because of the curve. I could try to put the unit in the center where the tri data unit is to see if the corners don’t stick out beyond the curve of the dash. Maybe the Garmin unit has smaller dimensions?

Go for it! Squeeze 'em. From what I've read online that Tridata unit is pretty mellow, gets along well with others, isn't worried about personal space.

https://static.garmin.com/pumac/GPSMAP_7x3_flush_template.pdf

 

[RollerCoastr]

I did download the templates for the Raymarine axiom 7 and lay them out on the dash and the corners of the unit stuck out beyond the dash panel in those positions because of the curve. I could try to put the unit in the center where the tri data unit is to see if the corners don’t stick out beyond the curve of the dash. Maybe the Garmin unit has smaller dimensions?

I think the Axiom and Garmin have nearly the same footprint.

I assume you're considering new dash panels as part of this project, right?

 

[Ramblin' Guy]

I think the Axiom and Garmin have nearly the same footprint.

I assume you're considering new dash panels as part of this project, right?

Yeah, dash panels are a must. Just trying not to spend all my money on everything all at once on an older boat. Just the minimum so I get a gps, pilot, and chart plotter with room to grow.

 

[RollerCoastr]

Understood, trust me! Friends of mine used vinyl wrap instead of new panels for their Maxum. It looked great. The switch actuators (buttons themselves) can be be replaced with labeled ones so you don't need the etched labels through the panels. If you want backlights for the switches that's possible but would chew into the savings pretty fast. Still, $25 in vinyl over $600 for panels could be a decent trade-off - at least temporarily. I wouldn't done it myself, but my instrument panel has the old boat-shaped systems monitor that needs the backlight/labels.

Like any VHF that pre-dates DSC, that one needs to go directly to the recycle bin - this year, not next. I recommend one that supports NMEA-2000 while you're upgrading the other systems anyway.

Your RayPilot 650 is a keeper IMO, and I'm not just saying that out of cheap SOB'ishness. That's the only user-friendly device to ever carry the Raytheon name. It is compatible with current MFD's in both AUTO and NAV modes. The button labels are on the buttons themselves, so I'm serious about painting it black. There's no downside. It's a fun, cheap and satisfying project. Did you notice how bad Stee's looks in his otherwise sharp and modernized dash? (when pestering doesn't work, I move on to passive aggression and insults).

 

[Stee6043]

Understood, trust me! Friends of mine used vinyl wrap instead of new panels for their Maxum. It looked great. The switch actuators (buttons themselves) can be be replaced with labeled ones so you don't need the etched labels through the panels. If you want backlights for the switches that's possible but would chew into the savings pretty fast. Still, $25 in vinyl over $600 for panels could be a decent trade-off - at least temporarily. I wouldn't done it myself, but my instrument panel has the old boat-shaped systems monitor that needs the backlight/labels.

Like any VHF that pre-dates DSC, that one needs to go directly to the recycle bin - this year, not next. I recommend one that supports NMEA-2000 while you're upgrading the other systems anyway.

Your RayPilot 650 is a keeper IMO, and I'm not just saying that out of cheap SOB'ishness. That's the only user-friendly device to ever carry the Raytheon name. It is compatible with current MFD's in both AUTO and NAV modes. The button labels are on the buttons themselves, so I'm serious about painting it black. There's no downside. It's a fun, cheap and satisfying project. Did you notice how bad Stee's looks in his otherwise sharp and modernized dash? (when pestering doesn't work, I move on to passive aggression and insults).

To think I brought this abuse upon myself

Question - did you use a satin finish paint (that doesn't look flat, nor glossy?)?? I'm sure you left that detail out of your previous pressure-laced posts regarding this project

 

[RollerCoastr]

lol

I'm 90% sure that was a satin finish.

 

[Ramblin' Guy]

I think I can fit one where the ST60 is. It'll be tight, but I think it'll be OK. Not sure if/where I'm going to put the ST60. I'm going to have to get some dash material for this year, and then redo again for next year. It's a first world problem, but I think it make sense.

thanks to eveyone for their advice!

 

[midexp]

Not to steal Rambling Guys thread, but this is related. Stee5043, I am in the process of installing the Fox Marine computers in my 400 and plug into my Garman741. I see you have 2. Can I see engine data for both engines at the same time with just 1 Garman?
Thanks

 

[Stee6043]

Not to steal Rambling Guys thread, but this is related. Stee5043, I am in the process of installing the Fox Marine computers in my 400 and plug into my Garman741. I see you have 2. Can I see engine data for both engines at the same time with just 1 Garman?
Thanks

I don’t have the gateways…yet. But @RollerCoastr does and it is sweet. Hopefully he’ll swing by again and share some photos of his setup.

Like so many great threads on CSR…this one is getting pretty spendy all the sudden